Playing With Fire
by Invader Tia
Summary: There's a new girl, and she's different from eveyone else. She sees aliens and other paranormal entities. Dib wants to befriend her, but she's not looking for a friend- she's looking for a way home. DaOCr eventually. ZaGr hints.
1. Middle of Nowhere

**Author's Note: I've tried to write this a few months ago, but something stopped me. Then the computer crashed and I lost all my data, so I have to rewrite it. Shit. **

**Anyway, this is very first story I've ever written for Invader Zim. It's weird, but I like weird. And Tia is NOT a Mary-Sue. She's anything but. **

**No flaming, or I'll have Zim send you to a room with a moose!**

**I don't own Invader Zim, just Tia and her affiliates. **

===LINE BREAK OF DOOM===

I hate this. I hate it so much.

I stack several boxes up on my arms and carry them inside the house. Most of the boxes are mine. I'm careful with them as I place them in my room on my bare matteress.

We moved. Why to this backwater town with no name, I can't figure out. Something about my dad getting stationed here or some such nonsense. Sometimes I wish he wasn't a cop, and by sometimes, I mean most of the time.

Huffing in annoyance, I gently unpack my things; my stereo first and foremost. I set it up on my dresser and put in an Evanescence CD as I continue to set my room up. The only good thing I can see in this is that I finally get my own room, and I can make sure those drooling, moronic brats I have to call step-siblings stay far, far away from my door. Except perhaps my half-sister.

The walls of my new room are deep violet, the carpet black like the rest of the house. I have a ceiling fan and a large window with a window seat under it, the cushions on it a soft, leathery gray. My father and step-mother decided to give me the canopy bed and bought me white curtains, which I had previously dyed black. I hang my window curtains, also pitch black and somewhat see-through, up and set up some violet and black pillows on the seat. I throw my bedspread on, a purple silken, puffy comforter blanket with elegant black swirled designs everywhere.

By the time I finish setting up my room, it's nearly midnight. I can hear banging and yelling in the next room over. Why on Earth are those idiots still up? Shouldn't they be in bed by now? I pound with my fist on the wall where the shouts are coming from. "Keep it down in there!" I scream through the wall, vainly hoping they'd hear me. I suppose they do a little, because the ruckus calms and I can hear my music again. Nonetheless, I turn up my stereo and sit at the window.

This might be a disgusting little town, but the stars are still visible at least. I can make out a few constellations from my window, but I know that I'll see them a lot better on my roof.

"Tia!" comes my father's voice through the door. I growl ever-so-lightly and open the door. Dad hands me my guitar case. "You forgot this in the van," he says. He hates the fact that I play guitar, because he doesn't have any music abilities and neither did my mother. Still, after years of begging he bought me a guitar.

"Thanks," I say, and I close the door as he leaves. I sit back down by the window and stare at the night sky. The stars twinkle brilliantly and I can see a breeze blow through the tree in the front yard. I curl up behind the curtain and daydream of home.

I don't realize I've fallen asleep until I jolt awake at the sound of my door opening. It's my baby sister, Raemi. "Tia? I had a bad dream!" she whimpers quietly. I give the four-year-old one of my rare, kind smiles and turn off my stereo.

"What, you wanna sleep with me tonight?" I ask her. She nods, looking up at me innocently with those big blue eyes, and I feel my heart melt as she hugs me. I scoop her up in her pink Minnie Mouse pajamas and turn off my light as she rests her head on my shoulder and sighs tiredly.

I place her in my bed and pull the cover over us both. Light from the hallway floods into my room, and the yellow light reflects off Raemi's hair as she lays, her eyes closed and her breathing slow. I take a lock of the silky golden hair and twirl it around my finger.

Of all my family, Raemi is my favorite. I practically raised her and she's just such a sweetheart, even though she can be annoying when she's overly tired. We have more of a mother-daughter relationship than sister-sister. Most people thought I would be jealous of her when she was born, because she's so perfect. Blonde hair, blue eyes, everything any girl wants to be, and I'm very plain Jane, brown hair and brown eyes and a face full of freckles that I despise. The truth is, I fell in love with her. Raemi is the main reason I never ran away.

I peck her forehead and whisper, "Nighty-night, Babers."

The next day at Skool, which by the way is such a stupid name for a school, I find myself being led to a classroom by a staff member who obviously doesn't want to be here. I think of knocking as the staff leaves me to my entrance, but decide against it and turn the doorknob a little timidly. I wipe all emotion from my face and step inside.

All eyes are on me. Respectively. I should probably say something, but my lips feel like they're glued together. So I just stare back at the crowd of students for a moment.

The teacher, a hunched old hag by the name of Bitters if my memory serves me right, points at a purple-haired girl behind a thing with green skin and no ears or nose and barks something at her. The desk sinks into the ground, and returns quickly with the girl missing. I sit in the now empty seat and pull out my iPod. Bitters goes on about doom and I turn up the music in my ears.

As a habit, I stare around at the class, scanning everyone in sight. I realize that I'm the only one here who doesn't have strangely colored hair or some other physical attribute that's odd. I smile inwardly.

My gaze turns to the green thing in front of me. His shiny black hair is so fake it isn't even funny, and he wears a metal backpack. Though I think that's cool, I still find it curious. Suddenly inspired by the obvious alien, I take out my notebook and pencil and begin writing.

The lunch bell rings, and I've already written almost three pages.

I enter the cafeteria. The line for lunch is a little long, and the rows of tables are filling up with kids. I try not to gag as the odor of the food fills my nose. Not like I would've eaten anyway, I think as I pass by the line and sit at a table that's almost empty. Sitting at the end away from me, playing a Game Slave 2, is a short girl with stiff violet hair. She squints at the screen as her finger fly across the control panel. She wears a black dress and a skull necklace. I want to smile at her, but she's not looking at me and my mouth is frozen in an indifferent line. I start to write again, another idea coming to mind.

I hardly notice a boy sitting down next to the girl. It isn't until I feel his stare that I look up at him. His golden brown eyes are locked on me, and I give him a slight glare of irritation. I'm used to people staring at me, but this was ridiculous. "Why aren't you eating?" he asks me, his tone suspicious. I roll my eyes.

"Not hungry," I mutter, returning to my writings. He continues to gaze at me. I can feel his eyes searing into my skull, and I can't take it for very long. "It reeks over here. I'm going by the window," I announce bitterly, shutting my notebook and storming off to another empty table by the back. I sit down facing the windows. The red sky seems to mock me and I frown angrily at it, then slam my notebook down and restart writing. I put my earbuds in my ears and turn it up so that my head throbs with the beat. It hurts my eardrums, but I don't care.

After some time, I feel someone start to pull the bud out of my ear. Reflexively I catch the hand that has a hold on the wire and squeeze it tightly. Nobody touches my iPod. I release the hand and pull an earbud out. "What," I growl, now pissed, "do you want?"

"Leave Zim's table!" It was the green alien thing from class. I blinked, thinking.

"I don't think I will," I say, suddenly calm. I return to my notebook, but the alien slammed his hand on my paper.

"Move NOW, filthy stink-worm!" he demanded. "Zim demands it!"

"Oh yeah?" I snort. "Zim and what army?" I pop the earbuds back in and ignore him for the rest of lunch.

During the rest of school, I sit quietly and listen to my iPod. I lost my divine inspiration for writing after I got to a point, so now I just stay still, eyes closed, and I whisper silently along with the song. "I will not make the same mistakes that you did, I will not let myself cause my heart so much misery," I murmur as quietly as I can.

I feel a sudden chill come over me as a shadow covers me. I send a dark glare up at the person blocking the light. It's the teacher, Bitters. "Yea?" I say nonchlantly. She glowers at me, her eyes seeming to glow.

"No singing in class!" she snaps. I look around. Everyone has their eyes on me, even the alien. Was I really singing that loudly? Being me, I have to give an unkind answer.

"I like to sing," I retort grumpily, returning to my song. "Don't bother me."

I hear gasping from everyone in the room. Bitters growls at my not-so-fearful reaction to her and slithers back to the desk.

"Well, if you like to sing so much, come up here and sing that song to everyone!" she snarls. I freeze. I have terrible stage fright. I can't even sing in front of my parents. But I love singing. And I really don't want to get in any more trouble-it's the first day! So I slowly get to my feet and march up to the front of the class. I restart to the song my iPod and wait for the intro to finish. I stare at the class. Every single one of them is gazing back, and I feel a strange creeping in my stomach.

The words start, and I open my mouth, but nothing comes. I clear my throat and start again, but it's scratchy and quiet so I can barely it. My mouth is sudden dry, so I swallow and try again, but this time my voice breaks and I squeak the words out. I feel heat come to my cheeks. "Um..." I've forgotten the words to my favorite song! My knees shake and I want to go and hide, but my feet feel like they're frozen to the tile floor. The creeping in my stomach has turned to violent churning and I feel something come up my throat. My mouth starts to water and I unglue my feet from the floor to make a mad dash for the trash can.

I vomit up stomach acid, since I haven't eaten today, and it tastes nastier than when there's food mixed in. It burns my tongue and the roof of my mouth and I shudder when I'm finished. Man, I hate puking!

"Dib!" Bitters shouts at the black-haired boy from lunch. "Take her to the nurse's office!" I'd rather the alien take me, but Dib obeys her and helps me to my trembling feet.

"That was mortifying," I whisper to myself as I wipe my mouth with the sleeve of my hoodie. Dib leads me down the hall in silence. Maybe he understands how embaressed I am.

"What's your name?" he asks me after a few moments. I want to ignore him, but my head is pounding and he's just going to keep asking if I don't answer him.

"Tia," I say in a small, raspy whisper. I stop by a fountain and take a drink. At least the water isn't too bad. My mouth and throat feel like they're on fire, even when I swallow the water, and I sigh. I'm shivering everywhere. I want to go home.

Dib tilts his head to the left. "You okay?" he asks. I cast a half-hearted look of annoyance at him.

"Do I look okay to you? I just puked!" I huff. I lean on the wall and close my eyes in pain. I hurt everywhere. My stomach feels like it's eating itself, I can't stop shaking, and I can feel a migrane coming on. I feel like I'm dying, but I don't want to go to the nurse. I hate nurse's offices. It's as close to a psych ward as a drug rehab, plus it smells like sick people.

I don't remember sliding down the wall to the floor, but somehow I'm here. "God, I hate stage fright," I whimper to my hands. I sigh again. "I just wanna ditch." This is why I don't perform.

Dib is at my side. "You wanna go to the nurse?" he asks me, almost kindly. I shake my head, but the world spins around me when I do. My temples throb, but I can't do anything about it. I don't have any meds on me. And even if I did, I wouldn't take them.

"I want outta here," I whisper. I force myself to stand up, which makes everything sway for a moment, and I stumble to the front doors of the building. I turn to Dib, who followed me. "Where's the closest park?" I demand. I'll feel much better in a tree. Dib points northwest and I follow his finger.

It's a small park, but it's got trees and monkeybars and a running track, so I'm happy. It kind of reminds me of my park at home. I find a sturdy tree with low-reaching branches and scramble up, already feeling better. At the top, I see the city in the distance. Besides that, there's nothing on the horizon. No mountains, no mesas, no rivers. Nothing.

I miss New Mexico.

===LINE BREAK OF DOOM===

**Okay, it's kind of a ramble. I got bored, alright? **

**Review or eat a bulimic. **


	2. Parent Teacher Night

**Author's Note: Upon popular demand, here is part two of my crappy story! Seriously, you guys. This is not my best work. Why do people worship my shit-load excuses for stories? **

**I don't know if I'll keep going after this. It might just end up as another Discontinued. **

**Don't own Zim in any way, shape, or form. I only own Tia. **

**Flame and suffer the consequences. **

===LINE BREAK OF DOOM===

I bob my head to the beat of the song. The other kids get up and I figure the bell rang, so I get up and start to leave as well. "Don't forget, students. Tonight is Parent-Teacher Night, and everyone is required to go," I barely hear Bitters growl. I roll my eyes and continue on. The alien- Zim, I've learned his name is- freezes in the doorway, blocking my way so that I unadvertantly bump into him.

"Outta my way!" I bark, my mood already dampened by the reminder.

"Keep moving, filthy human! ZIM has matters to deal with!" Zim snaps back.

I restrain the urge to shout and walk away. If there's one thing I hate worse than my life, it's idiotic alien scum blocking my path.

Walking home, I turn my iPod up louder so the noise of the cars passing by are drowned out. I trudge up my front yard, kicking one of the brats' stupid toys away. My house isn't so bad, actually. It's big, six rooms and four bathrooms, but drearily painted. My window is the one on the far left, looking at it from the front, and is the only one where the drapes are pulled shut. I don't let daylight in my room- the sunrays bleach my bedspread and reflect off my mirror.

"I'm home!" I shout as I open the front door, not caring if anyone hears me or not. I pull an earbud out and stick it in my shirt collar so it doesn't swing as I walk- I'm not allowed to have both earbuds in while I'm inside the house.

"Hi, Tia!" My step-mother is the one home today. I groan under my breath and walk into the kitchen, where she's cooking dinner already. I can tell by the stench that it's lasagna again, or her failure Mexican-American attempt at it. Seriously, who puts chili in an Italian dish? "How was school?" she asks.

"Same," I mutter, opening the refrigerator door in hopes of finding something decent to eat.

"Don't fill up on snacks- we're having dinner early tonight so we can make it to your Parent-Teacher Night."

_Don't remind me,_ I'm compelled to say, but I keep my mouth shut, having learned my lesson after being grounded before for being a smart-ass. I instead grab the milk jug- the only thing worth consuming in the entire fridge. I pull a cup out of the dishwasher and fill it to the brim with milk. That should hold me until after the stupid parent night thing.

"If you need me, I'll be doing homework in my room," I excuse myself from her presence with a lie, same as every day. I never have homework, one of the few things I'm glad about being in Bitters' class.

Closing the door behind me, I sigh gratefully for having at least an hour of silence and solitude. I turn off my iPod, my ears throbbing, set the milk aside on the nightstand, and lay face-up on my bed. I place my hands flat on their palms beside me and take several deep breaths. My eyes flutter closed, and as I relax I feel like I'm floating away.

I'd been doing this excersize since I was little to help cope with my mother's death. After I accepted the fact that she was never coming back from the hospital, I began to use it to calm myself after particularly stressful days, or before something I dread. It helps keep my anger in check.

I let my mind drift, and I go back to the past. Back to Mom, and New Mexico; the only things that make me happy. I find myself in the park, laughing and spinning around with Mom. I smile at her and our brown eyes meet, and I feel at ease again, like nothing has changed in my life.

A knock on the door brings me out of it. My blood boils for a moment but it quickly goes away and I keep my composure. "Yo?" I say loudly.

"Time for dinner!" says my dad's gruff voice. I sigh and pull myself up in a sitting position.

"I'll be there in a few," I call. My head is aching and my limbs numb. Did I fall asleep again?

Eventually I'm able to shuffle myself downstairs to the kitchen and take my place at the table. My plate falls in front of me and I hold back my grimace. Nevertheless, I pick up my fork and push the slab of poorly cooked meat and noodles around my platter, picking off what few good parts there are. My four siblings go on loudly and rapidly about how their day went. My step-brother wants to play football; the older girl wants to join the softball team; the younger girl wants to be a cheerleader. The same trash they ramble on about every night.

The only I really listen to is Raemi. I giggle as she tells me about how she wants to 'marry' one boy in her preschool class. "But he's getting married to Angel!" she complains. I smile at her.

"Oh, Raemi. There'll be other boys. What about that one kid, Issac?" I ask, hoping she'll stop moping even though her pouty face is just so damn adorable.

"I don't like Issac. He pushes me around and makes fun-a me!" she whines.

"Really? Well, next time he hurts you, tell him to stop or I'll come to pick you up next time and get him in trouble," I tell her seriously.

"Okay!" Raemi says, smiling. That seems to have picked up her mood, and my chest relaxes once more.

Dinner ends much too quickly. I head back up to my room to finish my milk and to retrieve my iPod. I come back downstairs to be greeted with another complaint from my step-mother. "Why do wear that damn jacket every day? Wear something else! Something less dirty," she criticizes. I look down at myself.

Yeah, my jacket's stained and has a rip on the sleeve. I've worn it every day since I got it. It was a present from my grandmother; it's special to me in a way my step-mother can't ever imagine, since she can't own anything for more than six months without getting rid of it for one reason or another.

I hold my tongue and shrug. "I like it," I say quietly, avoiding her gaze and touch.

We all leave and pile up in the van. With my step-brother sitting between the older girl and me in the back, we can barely make all seven of us fit. Raemi has to sit a row up since she still needs her own little booster seat, even though I would prefer it if she sat beside me.

The drive is short, since we live in walking distance of the Skool. We tumble out of the van like clowns and I place but earbuds in my ears. I walk to the cafeteria, knowing the family will follow me eventually. I glance behind me just to make sure. Raemi runs up and slips her small, warm hand in mine. An ever-so-subtle smile twitches at the corners of my lips.

I crinkle my nose at the smell of the cafeteria. Even when the food, that must be from the city cess-pool, isn't being served, the revolting odor still lingers. A cloak of black catches my eye and turn my head to see Bitters lecturing a group of parents. _Poor people,_ I think as I lead my parents and siblings over to her.

I whistle, making Bitters turn my way. "Told you I'd show up," I say mildly. "Dad, step-mom, sisters, brother." I point at each in introduction. "Guys, teacher. Name's Bitters."

"Hello!" says my step-mom in a cheery tone. I wince at the embarressment.

"Bye," I snap sharply, whipping around and walking in the other direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zim with a pair of sparking robots vaguely resembling people waltzing in the room like he owns the place. Not paying attention to him, I wandered over to the refreshments table.

Dib is there, with his little sister; Gaz, I believe. He's holding a cup of nasty smelling punch and she's playing a game on her Game Slave. I haven't really spoken to Dib since that first day, both too ashamed and too irritated to deal with him. Gaz, on the other hand, I sometimes talk to. We've even shared cheat codes for Vampire Piggy Slayer 3.

A sweet little hand grabs the back hem of my jacket and I look over my shoulder, unintentionally smiling. Raemi grins up at me, big blue eyes sparkling. I pick her up and balance her on my hip. "Want some punch?" I ask her. She nods vigorously. I take a cup and hand it to her. "Don't spill on my jacket, baby," I warn gently. Raemi nods again, her golden curls bouncing.

"Why does the boy have a big head?" the toddler asks me in my ear.

"My head is not big!" Dib shouts defensively.

"True. I've seen bigger," I agree, glancing over at my step-brother.

"How many times do I have to- wait. You agree with me?" Dib looks confused, head tilted like a dog's so that I almost giggle. I shrug, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, which is really hard considering I'm always much happier around Raemi.

A loud crash behind me makes all of us look that way. Zim's "Dad" is malfunctioning, probably not for the first time, and his "Mom" is wreaking havoc, dumping the cup of punch it's holding on a woman, who screams in horror and runs off.

I half wish that was my step-mother but I'm too preoccupied with laughter to think much about it. I hear Raemi's giggling in my ear, and I'm glad that I'm not the only one getting a kick out of this.

After that, the rest of the night is torture. Raemi goes off to play with the other little kids that had come, and I'm stuck listening to Dib's ranting. Now I understand what Gaz goes through on a daily basis.

"...And then they laughed at me! But I swear, he was using the _beltsander!_" Dib goes on. I can't take it anymore.

"Shut up!" I bark. "No one cares, or haven't you noticed! Humanity is too stupid to see the truth; why keep shoving it in their faces when they obviously are too stupid and stubborn to bother themselves and give two shits?"

Both Dib and Gaz stare unbelieving at me. That was probably the most they've heard me say at one time, so I can't really blame them. "What? It's true. The entire human race is just one big ignoramous," I point out, quieter now.

"Are you saying that you believe me?" Dib asks, dumbfounded. I roll my eyes and sigh moodily.

"Yeah, duh," I mutter.

"So I'm not crazy!" Dib seems ecstatic, so what else can I do but rain on his parade?

"No. You're totally crazy for thinking that Zim could take over the world," I say, peering over my shoulder at the green-skinned thing that for whatever reason was still here. "He's too... dumb."

"He's still a threat," Dib insists. "He almost destroyed the Earth multiple times, and if it weren't for me you would be either dead or a slave!"

"If he did get close to conquering Earth, it was probably an accident that turned into a brilliant plan. That happens to idiots all the time," I argue. "I mean, my baby sister could take over our world and his in half the time it would take him to come up with, and execute, a plan."

Maybe I'm exagerating, but Raemi _could_ take complete control of this town with her Bambi eyes alone.

"I doubt that," Dib says. "She's cute and all, but who would be stupid enough to fall to the knees of a four-year-old?"

"Have you _met_ your fellow humans?" I push back in his face. Dib opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again and sticks his hands in his pockets in defeat. I can't hold back the smirk. It's always nice to win an argument with someone who's nearly as smart as you.

I hear my step-mom call for me and frown. "Gotta go. Bye," I say without looking at the duo, walking away.

For the second time today I run into Zim blocking my path. Grumbling, I snap at him once more. "Hey! Move, dirtbag!"

"Monkey-worm, _YOU_ are in _ZIM'S _way! Remove yourself before I do it for you!" the alien barks back.

"If you would quit stopping in the middle of everyone's way, you wouldn't have this problem!" I snarl, shoving past him. "Stay away from me, or else!"

"Or else _what,_ little dirt-monkey?" Zim taunts as I pass.

"Don't tempt me," I warn in a low, anger voice. I walk away before he can anger me any further.

I would never do anything to ruin my permanant record, especially get in a fist-fight with an alien, but my empty threat will hopefully be enough to keep him away from me. Before I do something I'll regret.

=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===

**End scene! **

**I was out of inspiration for a while, which was what was taking me so long to write this. I recorded some episodes on my new DVR and I had an idea when I was watching Parent Teacher Night. Obviously. **

**From now on, not only will I be writing original chapters(if I continue, that is), but I'll also be writing little continuations of real episodes, like Career Day and Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom. **

**Next chapter I have in mind is my own, though. **

**Review or... or... or I'll lay eggs in your stomach! I mean it!**


	3. A Friend

**Author's Note: I am seriously impressed with this story's stats. Really, guys. This is the one I hate the most out of all my stories, and people want me to continue? I even have people asking me in my other stories about this! Can this be? **

**So, after this chapter, tell me; do you want me to continue with this, or is it horrible and I should end and delete it right here, right now? Please respond ASAP.**

**Um... yeah. I guess I should be getting on with the story, huh?**

**Why do I have to keep telling you that Zim isn't mine? WHY?**

**And I think you get the point about the flames, too. But just in case you haven't... Don't flame. Just don't.**

=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===

A shrill sound in my ear wakes me up, and with a groan I slam my hand on the alarm clock. I fold my arms and bury my face in them, trying to get back to sleep before the alarm goes off again in five minutes.

I was up all night watching Abridged Hellsing Ulimate and Avatar The Last Airbender. I needed to catch up on Avatar so I could finish the chapter in my Zutara fanfiction, but I'd gotten carried away and decided to have a marathon until five in the morning. I didn't expect to fall asleep in the middle of my favorite episode.

The alarm screams again; I smash it against the table to shut it up. I should be getting up. I should get ready for school. I drift back to sleep for another five minutes. The third time the alarm goes off, I finally get motivated enough to sit up and turn off the thing. Three's usually a charm with me.

Stretching and popping my stiff back, I roll myself out of bed and realize with an inward smirk that I'm still in my clothes from yesterday. I shrug, feeling the hot protest of my muscles moving out of the position they'd been sitting in for an hour or so, and stumble over to my window. The sun hasn't risen yet, but I can see the orange glow of the dawn over the eastern horizon. The purple night sky fades to plum, and then crimson as the daylight comes closer. It's not nearly as beautiful as the sunrises back home, but it's a sunrise nonetheless.

I stand at my window until I feel the rays of the sun warm my face as it rises slowly. A gentle smile coming to my lips, I walk away and gather my things in my backpack. I think I'll leave early today. Raemi won't be up until after I'm at school, anyway. No need to stay here.

Sticking my iPod earbuds in, I quietly travel downstairs with my backpack slung over my right shoulder. I grab a granola bar as I pass by the kitchen and make sure to lock the door behind me. I look up at the sky as I walk slowly, munching my on granola bar. Not a cloud in sight. Not that I expected there to be- the weatherman predicted rain earlier in the week and there hasn't been a speck of white in the sky since.

Figures a heatwave would occur just as I was getting used to my new routine.

Zutara on my mind, I blankly drop the empty wrapper and continue to meander my way to the Skool. I take my time, not wanting to work up a sweat before I even get inside the horridly stuffy classroom. Seriously, why don't they fix the air conditioning in there? All it does is spit out dust and hot air down everyone's necks.

I get there on time because of my dawdling, and as we all slide into our seats under the oppressive eye of Bitters, I notice that Zim and Dib aren't here. Instead of point this out and cause either a commotion or be laughed at, I ignore it like everyone else. They still aren't back after an hour, and I can't help but wonder what kind of spar they've gotten into this time.

Usually I'm the quiet one, so of course it comes as a shock when I raise my hand and ask to go to the bathroom. Bitters quirks an eyebrow and snaps a yes. I saunter out of the classroom and head outside.

The heat isn't any better out here, but at least the air is moving and dirt isn't clogging up my vision. I stick my hands in my pockets and walk a path I haven't been down before. It isn't all that much different from the neighborhood I live in. Houses line the street and people try desperately to do their chores and keep cool at the same time. A woman watering her folwerbed pours some water over her head; a man in a wheelchair holds a mini fan in one hand and an iced tea in the other on his porch; such things that one would expect to see in a city seemingly made to contain all the unintelligent people of America. My crinkle my nose at the smell of overheated garbage as I pass by someone's overfull trash can. How often did the dump truck come in this neighborhood? That smells like it's been there for at least two weeks.

The street ends in a cul-de-sac, and there's a gap between two townhouses on the right side. I peer over to see that there's a picket fence surrounding a green lawn and a small turquoise house. It looks so out of place, surrounded by bland homes and yellowing front yards. I feel the corners on my lips tug up as I see the "I love Earth" flag on the left post of the white gate. This is obviously Zim's house.

I hear a crash inside, followed by a loud scream, and I feel my intrigue pull. I don't particularly like to meddle, but I'd rather take things into my own hands than stand back and let someone get hurt. I approach the house, and I notice with a start that the four gnomes I'd failed to care about before all turn and lock their red eyes on me. I take a step onto the concrete path up to the front door.

A red laser flies, and I dodge it. I take another step and duck as red soars over my head. The gnomes don't turn to aim at me. Actually, they do, but I bend low so their lasers don't touch me. Apparently they can't aim up and down, only side to side. One of the most horrible design flaws if I've ever seen one. Like guarding a prize without trained personel.

I cross the yard with unsurprising ease- this is Zim we're talking about- and almost guffaw at the boys' bathroom sign on the front door as I open it. There's an overwhelming smell of greasy pizza and tacos. I walk inside, hoping to find the souce of the scream I heard.

Out of nowhere, a little robot pops up in front of me and screeches happily. I give a yelp of surprise and stumble back a step or two.

"Hi! I'm guarding the house!"

"It isn't guarding if you let people in anytime they want," I point out as the robot walks away and sits in front of a very large television. It presses a button on a remote that was sitting on the floor and I watch it flip through the channels a few times before I ask, "So where's Zim?"

The robot jumps to its feet, its cyan eyes suddenly glowing red. "Stop! None shall pass!" it says in a serious tone, artillary sprouting from its head.

"You watch that, too?" I remark, smiling just a bit.

"Yep! It's my favorite show!" the robot replies with a huge grin, the red fading back to blue. It turns to the TV and gives an 'ooh' as it plops down on its backside like a little kid. My smile grows. Whatever this robot's problem is, it reminds me of a young child about Raemi's age. I almost want to hug it.

"Where's Zim?" I repeat.

"Master and Mary are in the lab!" the robot answers enthusiastically.

"Where would this lab be?" I don't ask who Mary is, and I don't think I want to know.

"Over here!"

The robot leads me to a table in the corner, and it rises as the floor underneath opens like a trapdoor. I wonder how many of these are in the house. A levitating platform raises and the robot and I step on it. It sinks and the trapdoor closes.

I hardly notice the robot gawking at me. "What's your name?" it asks.

"Tia," I answer, sure it won't do any harm; this little android is too easily distracted to make any significance of something like a name. "Yours?"

"I'm Gir!"

"Gir? Did Zim name you?"

"Nope!"

Gir doesn't elaborate any further, and I'm thoroughly convinced that I won't want to hear it anyway.

I look at my watch. It's about lunchtime. Bitters will be sure I ditched, and I won't deny it. As long as I come back for my things, I'm sure I'll be fine. My fanfiction draft is in my backpack, I remember with a sudden lurch. It was the platform, not my stomach, that lurched, though.

A door slides open and I try not to gawk at the sight that meets my eyes. It's much cooler down here, thanks to being so far underground, and there's so much alien technology I don't think everything has a constructive use. Glass tubes line the back wall and a keyboard dash stretches across the room. I feel like I'm in one of my warped Star Trek dreams.

"This way!" Gir leads me down the room to another door. It slides open and the room before me is just as stunning as the one prior.

It's a circular room, with a platform in the center and what looks to be an upside-down Tessla coil above it. Another keyboard sits to the right, and a large screen embedded into the wall on the left. "I like this room," I mutter.

A maniacal laugh echoes through the large room and a door behind the dash opens. Zim struts in, his chest puffed out and a smug smirk on his face. It disappears when he sees me and Gir.

"GIR! What have I told you about leading HYU-MANS into the lab?" he snaps.

"Master, this is Tya!" Gir introduces, grinning from ear to ear. Or, rather, from one edge of his huge eyes to the other.

"Tia," I correct automatically, anger slightly flushing my face. My last name is hard to pronounce, yes, but no one's ever screwed up my first name before. It's simple enough to say. My angry flare retreats when I remind myself that this is a defective robot that's obviously made the mistake of leading people down here before.

"Great, now I have to destroy _her_ too!" Zim groans, putting a three-fingered hand to his forehead in exasperation.

With a start I notice for the first time that he's not wearing that stupid wig or contacts. His eyes are the same solid crimson as the sky, and his antennae are thin and delicate-looking. I'd always mused about how he would look without his disguise, if it could be called that, and my guesses aren't all that far off.

A robotic arm bends down from the wires strewn about the ceiling, holding a metal ball in its electronic grip. As it places the ball on the center of the platform, I see Dib's head sticking out of it.

"Computer, detain the female stink-worm as well!" Zim barks. Another arm coils around me and holds me in place. I struggle, naturally, but I'm no match for the strength of the tempered metal. What kind of metal is this, anyway; steel? Some sort of alien substance man has yet to discover?

I'm lifted off my feet and brought to Zim's dash so he can examine me up close. I scowl into those scarlet eyes, having half a mind to spit in his face just for spite.

"First the Dib-filth. He's more of a threat," Zim decides aloud. I remain suspended in the air, and the annoyance at Zim ebbs away as I grow more concerned. Being in trouble for ditching or not doing my homework is one thing. Being held by a metal cable as its controller determines my fate is entirely different.

"You'll never get away with this, Zim!" Dib shouts madly from his position on the platform.

"Oh, I think I just have, Dib-stink!" Zim shouts back triumphantly.

Why do I have the feeling this has all been said before?

There's a crash behind me, and I crane my neck to peer over my shoulder. Gir's giggling insanely while in a pile of mush that looks like mashed potatoes in front of the screen. I don't know if with such solid eyes Zim can roll them, but if he can he certainly will. I do so, amused.

Zim presses a few buttons on the dash, and the Tessla coil begins to glow slightly as it powers up. I frown as I think about what's actually going on. Zim is about to kill a twelve-year-old boy for trespassing. Of course, I'm not against the idea that trespassers should be punished, but can you say overkill? Or is this something bigger than that? I have a twisted feeling that I'm not seeing the big picture here.

The alien laughs madly, clearly pleased with himself. Bolts of electricity shoot from the end of the coil. Light builds up at the point.

_Murder_ sticks in my mind. _Dib's about to be murdered._ I can't let that happen. I can't live my last moments in guilt that I let someone get killed. There must be something I can do.

My arms are pinned to my sides by the cable wrapped around me, but my legs are free. Zim's head is right there, but kicking him won't stop the death-cannon-thing. I think of Gir, how easily distracted he is. Trying to think on my feet, I come up with an idea that might not work. But it's worth a shot.

"Hey, Gir!" I shout, getting the android's attention. "Master wants a hug!"

Gir looks absolutely delighted at the idea. He springs to his feet and launches himself at Zim, attaching himself to the alien's face in a loving hug.

I watch in facination as Zim flails and shrieks at Gir to get off. The robot is impairing his vision, it seems, and Zim bashes his head on the dash to try and rid himself of Gir. He accidently presses a button and the cannon dies down.

I squirm and wriggle until I have sufficient space to free myself, struggling to squeeze out of the coils. Zim is still screaming and thrashing, and Gir is still latched onto Zim's head, so I hope that's enough to keep them occupied until I figure out how to free Dib.

"You came for me?" Dib asks in astonishment as I examine the containment ball he's in.

"No, I was bored and Gir let me in," I answer plainly. "Can you move at all?"

"Sure, I can move inside it, but it's stuck around my shoulders," Dib says.

"Okay... so we can't slide you out. There's got to be a release button on here somewhere," I whisper to myself, searching the outer shell of the metal. It's cool and smooth underneath my fingertips, and the seams in the metal don't lead me to any clues. My hand finds a depression and I press in on it.

The ball falls away in shingles, like a barrel, and Dib is free. He laughs with relief and rubs at his neck where the metal must have chaffed his skin. "Thanks!" he says gratefully.

"Whatever, I'm out of here," I say. I turn for the door, hoping I can get back the way I came.

"Wait! Don't you wanna expose Zim with me?" Dib calls.

That brings Zim back to reality, and with a horrified screech he realizes his captives are loose. He manages to pry Gir off him and strange spider-like legs extend from his backpack. "You think you're so CLEVER!" he shrieks at us. "You can't get away from me _that_ easily!" Dib and I glance at each other and bolt for the door.

I'm not a fast runner, so it's no surprise that Dib beats me to it. I am surprised, though, when we approach the elevator-like chute that Dib offers to let me go first. I stare at him blankly for a moment, but then I'm whisked up into the air by a pair of thin yet strong arms. _I should've just gone,_ I chide myself internally.

_But then Dib would've gotten caught_, a voice argues in my head.

_Shuddup, conscience,_ I snap mentally.

"Well, Dib, it looks like you have a choice!" Zim sneers, his voice catching slightly as though he's undergoing a vocal change. Strange what you notice when someone's holding you hostage against his chest. "You can be destroyed right now and let her watch, or your little girly friend here will be the first to be vaporized!"

"Those aren't really options," I grumble. "And I'm not his friend."

"SILENCE!" Zim screams in my ear, making me wince. "Wait, you're not? Why did you come for him, then?"

"Gir can answer that, I'm sure," I say cheekily.

"Ooh, that horrible robot," Zim growls. He says something in what I can only assume to be his native tongue, probably a swear word. His tone isn't too friendly.

"Put her down, Zim!" Dib demands. He reaches forward and yanks on one of Zim's spider legs, and the alien and I crash down by the unexpected lack of support. I jump out of Zim's grasp and find myself bumping into Dib. I back away immediately and dash into the elevator, this time without the hesitation. He follows and the door closes before Zim can get inside.

The platform takes us straight up to the living room, and we make a mad dash for the door. Only to find it securely locked. I curse aloud, ignoring the look Dib gives me, and turn to the window. It's locked as well, but it's glass.

"Is there a lamp or something heavy around?" I ask Dib.

Dib grabs a lamp on a nearby side table and hands it to me. I smash it into the glass. Both shatter and provides an opening big enough for us to jump through. We run across the lawn, ignoring the lasers and I thank my luck stars that I'm not getting hit. We don't stop, even when we get out of the neighborhood, until we reach the Skool.

We collapse on the front steps, panting heavily, or I do. Dib doesn't seem to be so exhausted. He plops down next to me and catches his breath before I do.

We stare at each other for a long moment, and then laugh. It starts out as just a chuckle, but it erupts into peels of laughter very quickly. All the stress and fear from only minutes earlier are giggled away into nothing but memories.

As we calm down, I realize that it's the first time I've laughed, truly _laughed_, since my mother's death. I look at Dib, who has a broad smile on his face. "Thanks," I sigh. He looks at me, startled and confused.

"For what?" he asks.

I shrug. "Saving me. Not fighting with me." _Being the first person to make me laugh in years_.

My cheeks warm very slightly, and I see that his are tinging pink. "You're welcome, then, I guess," he replies almost sheepishly.

We sit in the shade, a slight breeze blowing hot air over us. Nevertheless, it's guaranteed to be cooler than inside the Skool building. A silence falls over us, comfortable for once. I wonder if he's ever been so long without talking to someone about aliens before.

The bell rings. The doors burst open and a wave of children fly through, all of them sweatier than Dib and I put together. I think I hear some blonde girl- Jessica, if my memory serves right, and it usually does- makes a remark about Dib and I on the steps, but I let it roll off my back. I've dealt with enough today, and I'm going to end up dealing with more when I go and get my bag. Then I'll have to explain to my parents about why I ditched, which is never fun.

"Wanna go get some ice cream?" Dib asks me after most of the stragglers have trickled out. Ice cream sounds so good right now, after running six blocks and sitting in the heat. I unintentionally lick my lips.

Forget my bag and my parents. "Sure," I say as nonchalantly as possible, but even I hear the slight quiver of enjoyment underneath the monotone.

I think I just made a friend.

=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===

**Sweet God of waffles, that was definitely a favorite. I know I stressed some things in there that I probably didn't need to, but it was fun and it's late and I'm too tired to give a crack monkey's uncle's shit. **

**I tried to keep them in character, but right now I'm going through a good point in my life and I don't have the usual strife that I use to help me write Tia. Oh well. OOC or not, I'm proud of this one. **

**And sorry it took so long to post. It seems I only have moments of epicness once every six to ten months... **

**And yes, I do have Zutara on my mind right now. STFU, Kataangs. **

**Review and I'll give you virtual cupcakes! Wait... maybe that's not a good idea... Anyway, respond and I'll love you forever! That's better. **


	4. Seasons

**Author's Note: Apparently I'm a better writer than I thought, because I've only had good reviews for this one. I thought an OC-driven fic would drive people nuts and I would be buried in flames and hate mail. Looks like it's the other way around.**

**This is just a collection of drabbles, since I've seen that done and it actually creates a nice time-skip effect. Still, the quality(hopefully) will not decrease because they're little drabbles. I will continue to be snooty with my grammar and syntax. **

**And, uh... HOLY CRAP! Two updates in the same month? Who am I and what have I done to myself? Be grateful, you filthy wormbabies!**

**Invader Zim belongs to Viacom and Jhonen Vasquez; I am neither. **

**Flames will be put out, but constructive criticism and happy reviews are welcome. **

=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===

**Summer~~~**

Heat I can deal with. Hell, I was born and raised in New Mexico! Apparently, though, heatwaves aren't all that common here in No-Man-Land. People are just as sweaty as they are stupid because they don't know how to cool down. So everyone I know smells like a sweatshop.

Dib talked me into sneaking into Zim's house again. The appeal this time is that we're taking water guns. According to Dib, Zim's skin is too senstive for it or some such nonsense. I've never heard of someone being allergic to _water_ of all things, but Dib seems pretty convinced, so I humored him and agreed to shoot Zim in the face with some water.

Now we're trudging under the hot summer sun in the middle of the day down Zim's street. Dib's face is red with heat, and I'm sure mine is, too. Only he didn't take off that stupid trench coat of his. Worse, it's black so he must be hotter than he would be if he took the thing off. I'm wearing my blue hoodie still, but only because I'm wearing a black shirt underneath and I don't want to have to deal with the extra warmth.

I look at the water rifle in my hands. Its tank is filled to the brim with cool water. I hear it slosh around in there with every step I take. I want to open it and pour it all over my sweating self.

Instead, I put my finger on the trigger and squirt Dib with it. "Ah! Hey!" he exclaims, shielding his face with his arm. The water lands on his shirt. For a moment he scowls at me, but then his lips twitch up into a sly smirk and he squirts me in retaliation.

I revel in the cold water spraying me through my jacket. Laughing, I spray him again. He dodges it half-heartedly; he's enjoying the cool as much as I am.

It turns into a game. We chase each other around the street, spraying our water guns and soaking each other. At one point, Dib trips and he falls to the asphalt, his gun flying out of his hand. I pick it up before he does and spray him with both his and my own gun. He snatches the guns out of my hands and returns the favor.

We don't stop until we run out of water. "Aw man!" I groan when my gun won't squirt anymore.

"Well, I guess we'd better go back and fill up again," Dib sighed, pouting at the empty tank of his gun.

We return to his house, but we never make it back to Zim's.

* * *

"So, how was the reunion?"

I shrug, basking in the cool evening air. I had returned from my annual family reunion the day before, after being gone all week. It was heavenly to go back to New Mexico and see my family- my _real_ family. My grandmother and Aunt Jessie Lou and Uncle Gary-Richard and all my cousins. Nothing like the smell of mesquite wood burning in a barbeque.

Now I'm back here, in this hell-hole. My grandma had offered to let me move in with her, move back to New Mexico, but I had refused. Of course I couldn't leave my baby sister to be corrupted by those brats she has to call siblings!

"It was okay, I guess. My cousin Angela has a little baby boy now. His name is Matthew," I murmur. "And John-Michael got his license back, so he came."

"Why did he lose it?" Dib asks. He hands me the binoculars and I peer up at the moon with them.

"His girlfriend was smoking pot in his car and they went through a check-point," I explain. "I'm kinda glad he dumped her. I didn't like the twat much."

"You sound like you're close to your cousins," Dib says quietly. I look at him, and there's something in his eyes I can't describe.

"Yeah, we're pretty close. I mean, I wouldn't go straight to them if I, say, ran away from home," I say.

"Who would you go to?"

"Why are you so interested?"

Dib frowns at me. He hates it when I answer his questions with a question. I roll my eyes and humor him. "Either you and Gaz, or Grandma. Depends on who's closer, distance-wise. Seriously, though, why do you care?"

"I just wondered. I don't see my extended family much. My grandparents barely know Gaz and I exist," Dib explains.

"That must suck. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't call Grandma," I say. I stare at him, and for the first time, I feel like someone has life worse off than I do.

* * *

I stand next to Gaz, tapping my foot impatiently. This is more of a crowd than a line, and I hate crowds. I hate lines, too, but I'd rather be right behind one person than surrounded on all sides. Call me paranoid. I just like my elbow room.

I'm glad that Dib's show was a re-run. If he hadn't realized it, we might still be at his house while he watched Mysterious Mysteries. What does he see in that show? None of the 'cases' are really mysterious.

"Next!" the teller yells. Gaz and I approach the counter.

"Two Game Slave 3's," Gaz says curtly.

The teenaged cashier gives us a braced grin and hands us two boxes. "There ya go! Two Game Slave 3's! You're pretty lucky, too; those are the last ones!"

The crowd behind us groans. Gaz and I each give a triumphant little smirk as we walk away with our new gaming systems.

* * *

"You don't have any good horror movies?" I ask incriminatingly. Dib gives a small pouty face.

"Well, I'm not exactly into that sort of thing," he says.

"Still, what's a good movie night without something to scare the crazy outta you?" I stress. "Doesn't your sister have something we could borrow?"

"You go ask her, if you're so desperate. I don't go within five feet of her bedroom door," Dib says, crossing his arms stubbornly. I roll my eyes and sigh.

"You're such a wimp," I groan, marching up the staircase.

* * *

The bright flashes light up the night sky for only an instant at a time. I giggle as one particularly large firework goes off, making the cannon-like sound that I can feel vibrating in my gut. Those are my favorite.

Colors dance across the sky. I look at Dib. I can see the multi-colored embers reflecting in his glasses, and his face is lit up momentarily before the glow recedes.

Little golden swirling fireworks soar into the sky, leaving a spiral trail of smoke in the air. Those were my mother's favorite.

I droop a bit at the thought of her, but I'm jolted back as another cannon firework goes off, painting the sky with neon green light.

* * *

"You filthy stinkworm!"

Zim pulls on my ponytail, and I yank out of his grip. "Don't touch me, jackass!" I snap.

"You were PLOTTING with the Dib-worm, WEREN'T YOU?" Zim screeches. I wince at the loud noise.

Actually, Dib and I have stopped talking about Zim. I think he either fights the alien alone, or he's just not interested in him anymore. Maybe he's seen to reason...?

"WEREN'T YOU?" Zim screams once more.

"No!" I shout back. "We don't talk about someone as insignificant as you!"

I whip around before Zim has a chance to realize what I just said and walk away, unfazed by his hollering at me.

**Autumn~~~**

At least the Skool isn't as stuffy as it was at the end of last year. The food is still garbage and Bitters' rants are still depressing as all hell, though.

My first day of a new year at the Skool is about the same as my first day of Skool. Dib and I are in the same class, as well as Zim, but this time I choose to sit next to Dib. Someone sneers something about us, but a quick glare from Bitters shuts everyone up. For once, I'm glad. I have enough issues with my step-sisters taunting me about Dib.

* * *

The chilly breeze settles over the pumpkin patch and I smile a bit at the orange and yellow trees. Orange is a rare color in New Mexico, even during the fall. Sure, gold is a pretty color, but one does get bored with a single color every year. One of the few things I don't like about home.

I had wanted to argue with my step-mom when she suggested taking me, Dib, and Gaz to the pumpkin patch with the kids, but it would mean I'd be with Raemi and Dib and Gaz all at the same time, so I bit my tongue and piled in the van when I was told to. Now I'm standing in the autumn chill, staring out at all the pumpkins that lay before us.

Dib walks with Raemi and I as we scour the rows for pumpkins. I'd like to think that Raemi's warmed up to Dib. She certainly seems alright with holding his hand when we're walking in public places.

She runs ahead a few feet and picks up a pumpkin. It's small but perfectly round and a smooth shade of orange. "Lookit, Tia! It's just my size!" she says, trotting up to me. I laugh and take it gently from her hands.

"Yep, Raemi-sized, just for your convience, baby girl," I smile at her. Raemi beams back at me.

"I wanna show Mama!" she declares. I give it back to her and she runs to my parents to show them her little pumpkin. I grin warmly in her direction.

"She's kinda cute," Dib comments next to me.

"Yeah, she is," I agree absently.

* * *

I laugh at Dib's costume. It looks like he took some advice from his sister- or something from her closet. But then, I never thought of Gaz as someone to cosplay.

"Really? Vampire Piggy Slayer?" I ask, almost not believing this.

"What? It was the only thing I could come up with that wasn't dumb!" Dib defends. He gestures to my black outfit. "What are you, anyway? A ninja?"

"That's for dorks and Bruce Lee fanatics," I say, rolling my eyes. I grab my mask. The paint looks to be dry now. I slip it on. "I'm the Blue Spirit!"

"The who?"

"The Blue Spirit. From Avatar."

"Oh. You mean the guy you pair that water girl with?"

"Katara? Yes." I mentally scold myself for not finishing my Blutara picture. I try to justify that I've been too busy trying to replicate the Blue Spirit's mask.

"Wait, I thought she was with that fire prince guy," Dib says as we walk down the stairs. "So, wouldn't that mean she's cheating on him?"

"No. Zuko _is_ the Blue Spirit," I sigh. _Don't blame him; he's never watched the show!_ I remind myself.

One more thing on my to-do list: get Dib to watch Avatar.

* * *

Brown leaves fly around as I try to rake them into a single pile. The wind blows them away again, and I growl in irritation. Since when did I have to rake the leaves? Just because tomorrow is Thanksgiving doesn't mean the backyard has to be spotless. Besides, who are we inviting to dinner?

Dinner. I shudder at the thought of my stepmother cooking a turkey. I hope my dad takes over the cooking this year- maybe he learned from last year's disaster.

"Hey, Tia!" my step-brother calls from the porch. "Your boyfriend's here!"

I glare at him for his tease, and he shrinks away, cackling madly. I put the rake down and walk inside to greet Dib.

"Sup, dude?" I say to Dib with a slight smirk.

Dib shrugs. "I wanted to ask something," he says.

"Well, no one's stopping you," I chuckle.

"Could Gaz and I come over for Thanksgiving tomorrow? Dad's gonna be gone, and, well... I'm kinda tired of mkaing dinner myself," Dib explains.

I blink. He's never asked me this before. In fact, he's never stated that he had any problems with his father being gone all the time. With a pang in my chest I think of how lonely it must get for them over there. I had never thought about it before. It always seems so busy over there, despite it being only two people most of the time. Dib and Gaz are always doing thinbgs with me, playing video games and such.

This humbling idea in mind, I nod. "Sure. The more the merrier, right?"

**Winter~~~**

"Snow!"

I tumble out the door in excitement. I haven't seen snow in over two years. The closest thing to it was a little dusting last year, but it wasn't enough to play in.

Here, the snow rises to my knees. I shiver, both eagerly and with the cold. I rush inside and grab my coat before sprinting out again. I run down the street to Dib's house, ignoring my step siblings' calls and laughter.

He runs into me halfway there.

We bump into each other, and he falls on top of me, pinning me to the cold white fluff on the ground. I feel my cheeks heat up despite the chilly air and I push him off me as he apologizes and brushes himself off.

* * *

Dib slides across the ice with ease. "C'mon, Tia!" he calls.

I look at my brand-new iceskates on my feet. They're white with black and violet stripes, matching my sneakers. I force myself up in a standing position and wobble a bit. I've never worn iceskates before. I've never gone iceskating, either. Such things are practically unheard of in New Mexico.

One look of desperation brings Dib back to me. "Here, I'll help you," he says with an overdramatic sigh, extending his hand out to me. I take it and, shaking slightly, step out onto the ice. His hand is so warm from being in his pocket. It feels nice against my cold fingers.

He skates off, still holding my hand, and thus I slide along with him. He takes it slow for me, but it's still enough to make my heart race. I watch his feet, the way he pushes off the ice, and try to copy him.

I get a rhythm going and soon I'm side-by-side with Dib. He smiles at me and lets go of my hand.

My safety net is gone, and suddenly I'm unsure. My knees tremble and I see the end of the frozen pond. How do I turn around? How do I stop? I try digging my toe into the ice, but that trips me and I fall forward onto the hard, slick surface.

I hear Dib laughing as I pick myself up and rub the pain from my hands. Since it's ice, I didn't get cut up, but my wrists still felt the impact of my weight crashing onto a hard surface. I quiver and try to keep my balance on these stupid skates. There's nothing to hold onto, though. I take a step forward and the blade of my skate slides against the smooth ice.

I scream, caught off guard by the slip, and almost fall again. Dib catches me, wraps his arms around my waist to keep me up. "Be careful!" he scolds partially.

I'm inclined to frown at him, chide him for chiding me, but I don't. I'm too distracted by his warmth as he holds me against his chest. His hot breath tickles my ear as he pants slightly. He's never been this close to me voluntarily.

Fighting my blush, I pull away from Dib and shakily scoot my way back to the bank.

Iceskating isn't my thing, I decide.

* * *

There's a knock on the door. I let my dad answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Is Tia home?"

I flinch slightly in guilt. I should have known it was Dib.

"Yeah, she's in her room. What's that?"

"Just something I got her for Christmas."

"Really? Well, we've already opened all our presents. Lemme see that real quick." I chuckle silently as I imagine my dad inspecting the present. "Alright, it looks safe. Go ahead and give it to her."

"Thanks."

A short moment later, Dib's knocking on my door. " 'S open," I call.

Dib walks in, holding a small package in his hands. It's wrapped in white paper and tied with shiny purple ribbon. "Hey. Got you something," he says with a smile.

"Coolsies," I mutter. He hands me the present. I take it reluctantly, feeling horrible that I didn't think to get him a gift. I never thought much of Christmas; it's just an excuse to buy people something they don't need, if you ask me.

I rip the paper and ribbons off and guffaw at the gift. It's Pokemon Black and White 2. I've been wanting to play this since it came out, but I haven't had the money. I beam at Dib, not believing that he had listened to my gaming rants.

I want to say thank you, but the words won't leave my mouth. So I throw my arms around Dib's neck in a tight hug instead.

To my surprise and secret delight, he hugs me back.

* * *

Gaz and I grin evilly to each other and throw our snowballs at the green alien just feet from us. Zim takes a step forward from the impact and whips around, fake blue eyes livid.

"YOU DISGUSTING WORMBABIES DARE TO CHALLENGE ZIM?" he screams at us. We laugh and run off without answering, ignoring him vowing vengence on us or some such nonsense.

* * *

Dib shivers as I put the hot mug in his hands. "W-w-what's th-this?" he stammers through chattering teeth.

"Hot cocoa, the way my mom used to make it. To thaw you out," I say, sipping my own hot drink. He tentatively sips the drink, and raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"It's g-good," he manages to say.

"Of course it is! My mom's a genius cook," I gloat for her. Well, it's not really gloating if the person you're talking about is dead, is it?

**Spring~~~**

The trees have little bits of green on them and the air is warmer. I might be able to go for walks again now that it's not so cold.

* * *

I sit on Dib's couch as watch the rain pour down outside. It's a nice little drizzle, enough hopefully to water the newly blooming flowers in my neighbor's flowerbed.

"You sure you don't wanna stay for dinner or something?" Dib asks. "It doesn't look like it's gonna stop anytime soon."

"Oh, I'll be fine, Dib," I scoff. Dib gives me a concerned and disbelieving look. I roll my eyes. "Please, as if getting a little wet will make me sick."

"I just don't want your parents getting on your case about not taking care of yourself again," Dib says.

"I will be fine," I repeat, slower. "Besides, I like walking in the rain."

* * *

A knock at the door. I don't feel well enough to listen to the conversation. I just bury my face in my pillow and try to ignore the churning feeling in my stomach telling me to upchuck again.

Once again, as the rest of the world recovers from its winter sniffles and colds, I get stuck with a stomach bug. I always seem to get sick around this time of year. Usually it's only for a day or two, but for those two days my parents pretty much baby me and make the kids leave me alone.

My door creaks open slowly and I hear Dib ask, "Tia? Are you awake?" I don't respond, and he must think I'm sleeping. I hear footsteps and something heavy clunks onto my nightstand. "See you later," Dib mumbles. He walks away and closes my door behind him.

I turn over and blearily gaze in exhausted shock at the bouquet of flowers on my nightstand, with a card sticking up that says 'Get Well Soon'.

* * *

As much as I hate crowds, I have to remind myself that I'm doing this for my mom.

I signed up for the 'Fight Breast Cancer' walk in the nearby city. I used to do it every year in New Mexico, in memory of my mother. I wasn't entirely surprised when I saw that they had one here as well- breast cancer is such a big thing these days.

Dib and Gaz agreed to come with me, but they won't be wearing the customary pink shirts. Gaz claims she doesn't have one and Dib refuses to wear pink under any condition. I, of course, am not a huge fan of pink either, but in honor of such a good cause I will. I even have my shirt from my third walk, and it still fits.

I greet the siblings at the starting line in the park. They stare at me in amazement. "What?" I ask.

"It's weird seeing you in pink," Gaz explains, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

Dib's cheek tinge and he clears his throat. "It, uh, looks good on you," he compliments nervously.

My face warms and I give a small smile. "Um, thanks."

* * *

"... But I didn't _mean_ to raise the dead. It was an accident!" Dib continued.

"Right, Dib," I say humoringly. A buzz flies by my ear, and I shriek. Please, God, don't let it be a bee...

"What are you screaming about? It's just a wasp," Dib interjects.

"A wasp? That's worse!" I scream. It swerves around in the air, and I can see it more clearly now. Yes, it is a wasp, ominously curved stinger and all.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm allergic to wasp venom!"

"Just leave it alone. It won't sting you if you don't give it a reason to."

"Knowing my luck, it's probably a tempermental one."

Dib rolls his eyes and I duck behind him. The wasp buzzed off over a wall. "There. See? It flew away."

"Yeah, but it'll be back," I retort. "Let's go home before it changes its mind."

I can feel Dib amused annoyance as we walk quickly down the street. It's not my fault I'm afraid of bugs.

* * *

I hand Dib the package I'd been hiding from him. "What's this?" he asks.

"Gaz told me your birthday was today. I figured you probably don't get a lot of attention, and plus I never got you a Christmas present," I explain.

"You didn't have to-"

"I know. I wanted to."

Dib smiles at me and tears open the blue wrappings. "No way!" He lifts the disc set out of the torn paper. "The complete first season of Ancient Aliens?"

I had recently gotten him watching shows other than Mysterious Mysteries, like Ghost Adventures and Ancient Aliens. Since he hasn't seen the whole series yet like I have, I thought maybe he would like to watch it at his leisure.

"Thanks!" he says, grinning widely. I return the smile.

"Happy Birthday, Dib."

=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===

**Done! Finally! Lord of all, that was long!**

**That's a good year taken off the time line. **

**So, a nice long chapter full of drabbles to keep you people satisfied for a few day/weeks/months. I hope you don't mind the little sentence at the beginning of spring. It sounded so epic in my head, but I had no storyline to go with it. **

**I don't think I'm gonna write again in this for a little while, unless I come up with else. Who knows, maybe I'll have some more lame Zutara drabbles waiting for you guys at the end of the school year. **

**Oh, and thank you Invader Rose Tyler for your reviews and anyone else who's following me but too lazy to respond. **


	5. Beautiful Nightmare

**Author's Note: God, what is it with me and writing chapters for this story? Seriously. Who gave me the inspiration virus? Damn music making me think.**

**Not that it's a bad thing...**

**I've been told that my detailed chapters are better than drabbles. Oh well. It was a nice time skip and it puts them at an age that's more comfortable for me to write with. Even though they were only twelve when we began our little journey through Tia's self-pity. **

**This one is inspired by the song **_**Sweet Dreams**_** by Beyonce. You probably already figured that out by the title, but still, I've met some people that are just that dense. **

**Jhonen Vasquez owns Zim, not moi. **

**Flames will bring doom upon you, so don't even try. **

=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===

The balmy night air feels good against my face as I walk down the street. I'm going to get yelled at for being out so late, but they might go easy on me. After all, Dib is walking me home.

My dad, at least, has grown to like Dib. As long as we leave my bedroom door open, he doesn't really worry about us being alone all the time. I think he's just glad that I finally have a friend that I didn't meet online. My stepmother has her concerns about Dib, especially his infatuation with the paranormal.

To be honest, I like his little obsession. I would've gotten into that sort of thing a long time ago, but my stepmother squashed it when I started to show interest. Being a full-on Catholic, she doesn't believe in things such as ghosts and Bigfoot. I haven't had the heart or energy to argue with her about it. It seems kind of trivial compared to other things she and I are at odds about.

"I finally got the ghost ninjas back down the toilet, but I was grounded for a week because of it." Dib gave a pouty look for a moment before he shook his head slightly and turned to me. "Hey, have you ever seen a ghost?"

I blink and stare at the ground. Not counting the many dreams I've had about my mother, I had seen a total of three ghosts in my entire life. With so many people that I knew dying around me when I was little, one would think that there would've been more. I shrug.

"A few," I say truthfully.

"What happened?" Dib sounds extremely interested, and I suppose he has the right to. I don't tell stories about my past. It gets too painful sometimes. I'd only ever told him about my mother once, when he asked why I was participating in the Breast Cancer walk. Then again, he's never told me about his mother.

"Well... When I was six, I was riding on the train on a field trip. I was looking out the window- you know how I like the window seat- and I saw a black hooded guy. I looked behind me to see him better, but when I blinked he was gone," I describe as simply as I can. I'm not good at telling stories. Blame lack of practice.

There's another, a Bloody Mary story, but I don't believe in Bloody Mary so I leave it alone in my mind. Besides, that's not my story, per say; it's my cousin's.

"Neat! I saw a ghost when I was six, too!" Dib says enthusiastically.

I absently block him out and enjoy the cool evening breeze. We're walking very slowly, trying to extend the time before we have to go our separate ways. Why do I have a feeling Dib has plans concerning Zim later tonight?

We approach my house and we stop at the front stoop. "Uh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Skool," Dib says, nervously awkward. I feel my lips twitch into a nearly shy smile. When we're being rushed or someone's there, we usually just say bye and go on; when we're alone, goodbyes get reluctant and timid.

"Yeah, guess so. See ya later, Dib," I say quietly. He hugs me goodnight, and he lingers just a little, enough for me to notice. Then he retracts quickly and mutters a goodnight.

I return the whisper and head inside, my cheeks burning. My parents say nothing as I walk upstairs to my bedroom, which I find odd as they would be on my case right about now.

I lock my door behind me and pull back the curtains around my window. Dib is walking slowly away from my house. He stops under a street light and slaps his forehead in exasperation. I can't hear him, but I wish I could. It'd be nice to know what he's scolding himself for.

He runs off in the direction of Zim's house, and I smile at my accuracy.

Sitting on my soft cushions, I stare at the stars twinkling above. I yawn once and my eyes water. I didn't sleep well last night, so of course by now I'm thoroughly exhausted. My eyes drift close and I fold my arms over my chest as I get comfortable, leaning my temple against the cool glass of my window.

My last thought before sleep is that I forgot to turn on my stereo.

* * *

_I'm standing at the base of a spiraling staircase. I turn around, getting my bearings. The walls are stone and the door behind me is made of heavy oak wood. I tug at the old-fashioned metal handle, but the door is firmly locked or simply too heavy for me to open. I turn to the winding stairs. _

_They're made of oak as well, and the railing is black-painted iron. The metal is cold to my touch as I ascend the spiral, seeing no other way to go. _

_The climb is long and exhausting, but I reach the top at last. An open trapdoor leads me into a stone room, bare save for a single opening in the furthest corner. I walk out onto a balcony. _

_I gasp; the landscape before me is barren and dead. The blackened trunks of burnt trees stick out of the ground intermittently, but other than that there's nothing as far as my eyes can see. The sight makes me sick to my stomach and brings sudden tears to my eyes. I imagine what it would've looked like when the trees were green and alive. It must have been beautiful, once upon a time. _

_Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I turn around so I won't have to look at the dead Earth. I bump into something- someone- and give a small _oof!_ Arms wrap around me in a comforting hug. _

_"I'm sorry you had to see that, baby." Mom. _

_I bury my face in her shirt and relish in her presense. "I miss you, Mom," I whisper, tears choking my voice. _

_"I know you do. I miss you, too," she says with an audible smile. My heart stops throbbing painfully and I relax in her embrace. "I love you, Tia." _

_"I love you, too, Mom." _

_Suddenly, her arms turn to vapor and I can't feel her warmth anymore. She's disappeared. I panic. "Mom? Mom, where'd you go?" I call into the dry, still air. _

_"Looking for someone?" _

_Dib's voice jolts through me like electricity. It's deeper, and more confident. I turn back around to look at him. _

_He's different somehow. His hair scythe is shaped more like a lightning bolt and his trench coat is in tatters. I droop to see his prized coat torn and ruined. It's as much of a part of Dib as his glasses or his big honey-colored eyes. _

_"Dib. What are you doing here?" I ask, not sure what else to say. _

_"I could ask the same," he retorts with a type of angry, sardonic sass that usually comes from his sister. What's happened here? Did Zim actually... win? My heart skips a beat as I think of the horrors that must have occured. _

_Dib takes a step towards me, and I involuntarily shuffle back half a step. His golden eyes tell me that he means no harm, despite his snide remarks. He reaches out to my face. I insitinctively jerk my head back, but his fingertips brush my cheek and his gentle touch calms me. I give in and lean into his hand. _

_His eyes are sad and relieved at the same time. "I thought you were dead," he sighs. "I was sure you were dead." _

_"Zim... did this." I gesture to the dusty nothing beyond the balcony. Dib nods. His hand cups my jawline and my hand covers it timidly. His skin is callused and rough, but his touch is tender and sweet. He won't hurt me. Not in a million and one years. _

_"I was too late to stop him. To save you. Save the world," Dib whispers, his new strong voice catching slightly. He gazes at me earnestly, longingly. "Is it too late now?" he asks in a voice so low I barely hear it. _

_I don't know what he's talking about, but I shake my head anyway. So he messed up. He's human- he's going to make mistakes, and there's nothing he can do about it. Sure, his screw up destroyed the Earth, but if anything it was an honest mistake and no matter what damage he caused, I can forgive him for it. _

_Is that what he's asking for? Forgiveness? _

_"No," I say quietly. "It was never too late." _

_The gap between us has been slowly closing as we inch closer and closer, yearning for one another's company and touch. He missed me. I see it in his eyes. Those beautiful golden eyes that shine like the sun when in the right light and mood, and yet can be stormy and dangerous when angered. _

_He leans down and whispers in my ear, his breath tickling my sensitive skin. "I was so scared. I thought I was alone. He spared me because he wanted me to suffer. I don't think I'll be able to suffer anymore." _

_"Why not?" I breathe back, shivering with nerves. _

_"I have you again." _

_My eyes widen and he pulls away from my ear. He stares at me, his eyelids drooping. "Dib?" My voice is weak from lack of breath. _

_To my utter shock, he bends down and presses his lips to mine. _

I jolt awake, a small shout erupting from my mouth.

What the hell was _that?_

And why am I regretting waking up?

* * *

I stare blankly at the concrete as I walk to Skool, my dream wrapped around my mind like a vice. I strongly believe that dreams have greater meaning than just a jumble of subconcious thoughts. I've been trying to figure out the meaning of mine for the last few hours, unsuccessfully.

"Hey, Tia!" Dib catches my attention vaguely. I turn and stop to wait while he runs to catch up to me.

"Hi, Dib," I say softly, still deep in thought. He frowns at me. I frown back. "What?"

"What are you thinking about?" he asks.

I sigh. "A dream. I don't think you'd understand."

"What was it about?" Dib presses. I can't fight the warmth coming to my cheeks, so I turn away to ensure he won't see.

"C'mon, we'll be late again." I say the word _late_ gently. Shivers go up my spine and I hide them rather effectively by rolling my shoulders, which are a little sore from carrying my backpack around.

Dib knows I'm hiding something from him. He just knows me that well. He doesn't say anything else, though. I'm too stubborn to let him continue to pester me about a stupid dream. _It wasn't stupid; it was nice. And scary, too. _

Gaz notices I'm off at lunch. "Hey, are you and Dib fighting or something?" she asks when Dib leaves to the bathroom.

"No, why?" I respond.

"You haven't talked to him. I thought you might be mad at him for something. I don't blame you if you do, whatever it is," she says, returning to her game. She growls at the Game Slave 3. "Stupid bat piggy!"

"Try the double flaming dagger combo," I suggest absently. I already finished_ Vampire Piggy Slayer: Resurrection _two nights ago.

"Oh, neat. I didn't think about that. Thanks."

"No prob."

I put my earbuds in and tap my foot to the song distractedly. _"You can be a sweet dream, or a beautiful nightmare. Either way, I don't wanna wake up from you."_

Damn you, music, for being the one thing that understands me and my predicament.

=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===

**Kinda short. Sorry if it's not as good as usual. It's late and I just wanna finish this so I can get to bed. I have to write my chapters all in one sitting so I don't end up straying from the idea of the original chapter. **

**Which is why this one is so short. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the shittiness of my late-night mind. See ya guys later. **

**Don't forget to review, or else you won't read the next chapter because I won't write it. I live on reviews, people. They're my only source of motivation for this damn thing. **


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